Why Do You Care?
by TorturedLove
Summary: Set after episode 17, Elena begins to wonder why Damon cares so much about whether she got hurt. So she calls Damon over with the intention of finding out, with some very interesting results! First fanfic! : Rating changed because I'm paranoid!
1. Chapter 1

**Just a little drabble I came up with after watching Episode 17. **

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing! *sobs* I would rather like a Damon please . . & a Stefan too if anyone's offering! ;)  
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Elena paced her bedroom thoughtfully. The sky outside was light now & that meant she'd been pacing the same spot for hours. But she still couldn't figure the answer out. She stared at her blackberry for a few seconds before crossing the room & checking her recent calls for a specific name. She stared sadly at the first number on her call list,

_Stefan Salvatore._

Now there was a world of misery in one name. When they'd got back to the Boarding house that night, he'd begged her to forgive him for growling at her, but therein lay the problem! She'd never been more scared in her life, even when she had fought all those vampires in the house. It was his face, the darkness in his eyes, the pure evilness. & that had worried her because she hadn't seen pure black evil in someone's eyes before. & the only comparable person was of course Damon. Even at his darkest point since she'd known him, she'd never seen such evil in Damon's eyes; & for God's sake he was supposed to be the evil brother. So when Stefan had asked if she would forgive him & if they could be a couple, she'd told him carefully that she needed time to think away from him & maybe they should have a break from each other whilst she thought. He hadn't taken it brilliantly & she'd practically fled from the boarding house.

Once she was home & alone in her own room, she began to replay the whole night's events in her head. & she was stuck on one thing. Damon of course. It was his face as he told her that she couldn't go into the vampire's house; practically condemning his own brother at that point! The way he'd told Mr Saltzman that her life was far to valuable to risk! The way he had forced her to stay in the car & then yelled at her when she didn't. & finally the way he'd told her to get out with Stefan, even though he was completely outnumbered. Which brought her to the one question that had left her pacing her room till the early hours . . . "Why?" & she had an inkling of the answer BUT she needed to know she was right.

So she did the brave thing & carried on scrolling through her phone to the name she needed to see,

_Damon Salvatore._

& she hit dial.

He answered on the first ring sounding distinctly edgy, "Elena? What's wrong?" He never answered the phone to her like this, it was always flirtatious & made her think he was smirking, but this unnerved her further. "Can you come over?" she asked softly into the phone. "Why?" he asked worriedly & then the line went dead. She stared at it for a few seconds, wondering why he'd hung up but then he appeared through her window & she understood why. "What's wrong Elena?" he asked grabbing her by the arms & practically shaking. "I . . . I needed to ask you something. . . " She tailed off into silence at the end & he stared at her, totally confused. & then it hit him that she hadn't rung him in mortal terror like he'd thought & he visibly relaxed & let her go. He sauntered to the other side of the room & she knew his walls were back up for some reason as he asked, "Well now Miss Elena, what could I possibly help you with at this time of the night?"

The penny dropped. "Stefan told you?" she asked & he merely nodded. This added another thing to the list of questions . . . why did he care if Stefan & she had broken up & Stefan was back on human blood?

"Why?" she asked. The words had tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them, "Why do you care if I live or die? Why do you keep protecting me?"

He laughed easily, the walls were well & truly back up. & she glared at him darkly. "Don't laugh at me Damon Salvatore! I want an answer. I've been awake since . . . " She trailed off as his eyes lit up. He had realised that she'd been up till this time over him, not his righteous brother.

"Curiosity killed the cat Elena!" he mocked. Elena took a deep breath as she realised getting annoyed wouldn't get her the answer. So she hanged tactics. Slowly she crossed the room & stood in front of him, looking up sweetly. "Just tell me why you care about my survival Damon?" He shot backwards & rearranged his expression to one of boredom, "Please Elena you know as well as I do that Saint Stefan would stake me if anything happened to you –" She cut him off as she repeated, "So it was just to keep from Stefan staking you that you protected me?" she asked, her heart beating as she waited for the answer. He shot her a curious look before replying, "Of course! Its not like I have feelings for you."

She turned away to prevent him from seeing her heartbreak. She just wanted to get away from him, so she whispered in a false voice, "Ok then. It doesn't matter. You'd better be going. I need to get some sleep."

"Elena?" he said softly, trying to turn her around to face him.

"Just leave me alone Damon!" she snapped & moved away from him to the furthest corner she could get, watching him from under a curtain of hair. He stared to walk back towards her, but she just glared at him.

"I mean it Damon! Get out!" she snarled. He carried on moving slowly towards her. Infuriated she turned for the door, "Fine then! You stay, I'll go!" She was close to tears now & refused to let him see. Before her hand could grab the door handle he had popped up in front of her again & she jumped back.

"You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on!" he sighed. But she stayed an arms length away, & before she could stop the words had tumbled out again, "I . . . I thought that you . . . never mind!" He was staring at her in shock as he realised what she was thinking. She darted for the other door desperate not to hear him laughing at her.

But he caught her in his arms & whispered in a voice that was uncharacteristically soft, "Elena? Why do you care if I care?" She tried to pull away desperately, certain he would laugh at her if he knew, but when she couldn't, she glared at him. "I don't Damon! You don't care & I don't care! So leave me alone!"

& then Damon knew! Elena felt something for him! So slowly he lifted her face up towards his & looked into those chocolate eyes which were brimmed with hurt tears. & then he leant down bringing his lips softly to hers. The kiss was soft & totally different to how she had thought Damon would kiss. As he pulled away he whispered into her ear, "It's ok Elena. I feel the same!" She looked back up into his eyes as her heart rose & she pulled his face back down into a passionate kiss!

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**Hope you like! Comments & criticism welcome! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well hello again. **

**Originally I had planned this as a one shot BUT because of all the amazing comments I've decided to give you lot you're own way & it's no longer a ONE shot! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. Unfortunately. :(**

**So here we go on with chapter 2! **

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Elena opened her eyes, slowly. The sun was streaming through the open window, dazzling her. Her mind felt fuzzy as she tried to remember what had happened last night. And then as she stared at the black leather jacket hung on the bed post opposite her, she remembered everything. Belatedly she felt an arm stretched over the front of her body at her waist. Slowly her eyes trailed along it to see the body it was attached to.

Damon. Complicated, annoying and inexplicably gorgeous. He was laid flat out on his stomach, dead to the world. Elena pressed a soft hand to lips as she remembered the searing kisses they had exchanged in the early hours of the morning and the way he'd snuggled down against to protect her from the monsters in the dark.

She laid back down, leaning on her elbow, watching him. He looked cute when he was asleep, vulnerable. All his walls were down and she could imagine how he'd looked before Katherine was around and he was just a normal boy.

"Normally I'd say it was creepy if someone was watching me. But then I suppose I am THAT attractive!" He quirked, lazily opening one eye to stare at Elena. She jumped, startled and then smiled, "You are so vain Damon Salvatore, you know that?" It came out as a question rather than the fact, that they both knew. He smirked at her and then laughed. It was a real laugh, not the bitter one or the I'm-going-to-kill-you one, but a real one she'd so rarely heard. And she liked it. A lot more than she would ever willingly admit.

Seconds later, she had been flipped onto her back and Damon was laid on top of her, supporting his weight with his knees and arms, kissing her passionately. Slowly she nibbled on his bottom lip and he granted her access. Their tongues collided, duelling for control and dominance. Slowly he broke away so Elena could breathe properly again and pressed a chaste kiss onto her lips. She couldn't believe how amazing it was when he kissed her, it was fiery and passionate. She felt like she never wanted to stop kissing him. Especially when every now and again, he kissed her softly; there was more feeling in those kisses than she knew he could ever say out loud. When Elena could focus again she realised he was staring at her.

"What?" She asked self consciously before staring back into those aqua marine pools, getting lost in them. Then she saw it, a certain vulnerability that she never expected to see in Damon Salvatore. So she raised her free hand to cup his cheek and repeated her question in a soft tone, "What?"

He stared at her for a second longer, feeling ridiculously vulnerable which was stupid because he, Damon Salvatore, did NOT feel vulnerable, before shooting across the room using vampire speed and watching her with folded arms.

Elena stared at him, confused, and then she saw him beginning to build up his walls again. So she climbed out of bed and walked towards him, and took his face in her hands. In the softest voice with all the love for him she had, she whispered, "Don't you dare build up those walls again, Damon. Don't you dare." Then she kissed him. As she broke away, she heard him whisper, "Is this real?" And then she understood. Staring deep into his eyes, she smiled and replied "Yes Damon it is. I'm not going anywhere." He was watching her in disbelief and she finally understood the last piece of him. He didn't believe he could be happy, he was waiting for it to crash down around him.

So she decided to do the only thing she could do: she laid her heart on the line, "I've . . . Had feelings for you . . . For a while now . . . & then yesterday . . . I, well, I wondered if you felt the same. I think I'm in love with you!" As she ended her speech, the disbelief cracked into pure joy and the walls came tumbling down. Inside he could feel her light sneaking into all the blackness and washing it away. He felt whole for the first time since his mother had died. He pulled her flush to him, in a tight embrace, & whispered into her hair, "I love you too!"

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**I'm just working on the third chapter now! :) **

**Reviews make me happy! lol**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well hi there again.**

**As promised the third chapter, a little bit later than planned but I've had to write on the go (Thank God for blackberrys!).

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Damon and Elena were sat having breakfast when Jeremy and their aunt appeared. Well Elena was having breakfast whilst Damon was drinking coffee. Jenna stared at them confused. She'd heard Elena come in last night, crying. She'd guessed it was something to do with the Salvatores.

"Dude! Are you screwing my sister?" Jeremy burst out. 'Way to break the ice' Elena thought, stuffing another piece of pancake into her mouth, hardly daring to look at Damon. The man in question coughed slightly and then laughed, "Well I wouldn't put it quite that way! We're only just a couple." He took Elena's hand under the table and squeezed it. She looked up at him and gave a him a soft smile. Dazed though she was, she vaguely heard Jermey mutter, "Good coz you're way better for my sister than Stefan!" Elena knew that Damon would be smirking at that one and any other time she'd have groaned but she knew that he needed that one. As Aunt Jenna opened her mouth, no doubt to give her another warning, Elena jumped up and said "Well we've gotta get going now!" as she practically dragged Damon out of the room & headed for the bedroom to get her bag.

As Damon shut the door behind them, Elena turned to see him watching her, "So we're a couple now?" she joked. To her disappointment Damon's face fell, "Well we don't have to be . . . I just-" but Elena had crossed the room and put her finger over his lips. "Ofcourse I want to be your girlfriend!" She grinned, "I just don't know how we'll break it to-" she trailed off. He knew exactly what she meant so he let it hang and pulled her to him, determined not to let his younger brother spoil their happiness. Elena tilted her head up to his and kissed him hard on the lips. He responded immediately with as much passion.

Eventually they stepped away from one another, mainly because Elena nearly fainted from lack of oxygen. Even though she didn't want to spoil the mood, Elena sighed and asked "What are we going to do about Stefan?" Damon raised an eyebrow and replied coolly, "I don't see the problem! He'll drain a few people maybe; go and cry about it then he'll back to his normal self!" He smirked at the end and Elena recognised it his apathy to his brother. She shot him a dark look, "You know that I didn't mean that!" She sighed, "Although that is a good point. I meant . . . well . . . telling him about us." Damon laughed softly and slipped his arms around her protectively.

"It'll be ok." he sighed. Knowing Elena so well he knew the wrinkle on her forehead was due to some remaining sense of duty to Stefan and that she needed to tell him straight, else she'd feel lyk she was cheating. So after a few seconds of just holding her broke away and took her hand, "Shall we go and get this over with now?" Elena nodded. It surprised how he could almost read her mind, she'd always thought they were connected but this was getting spooky.

The drive down to the Boarding House was almost silent. Damon rested his hand on her thigh and every so often (when she stopped at red lights and such) she would lean across and stroke the side of his face for reassurance. As she pulled to a stop outside his home, she looked worriedly at Damon who leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "It'll be ok!" he whispered, "Want me to come in with you?" She looked up into his eyes and as much as she wanted to beg him to stay with her, she knew what she had to do, "No. I've gotta do this one on my own." As she went to shut the car down she turned and leaned in towards him, "Stay close by me though? Just incase-" she tailed off and gulped trying not to think about what could happen. Damon merely nodded but inside his cold facade was melting rapidly. There was a cold feeling in his gut. And the one thing Damon did not want to be feeling right now was worry. If anything happened to Elena, he'd stake his brother properly! But this wasn't productive, so he tried to ignore the niggling voice in the back of his head which was telling him that Elena would run back into Stefan's arms; & focused on listening out for anything to happen. The first thing he could hear was the quick thrumming of her heart which told him how scared she was and her beautiful voice as she shouted his brother's name.

Inside the Boarding House, Elena was beginning to get worried. Stefan wasn't answering her and there was a LOT of blood bags strewn haphazardly across the floor. Then she saw the bloody footprints leading upstairs. So plucking up all of her courage and ignoring the desperate urge to run out of the door and back into Damon's arms, she headed upstairs. The floor was littered with countless blood bags and the little voice inside her head was pointing out that Stefan was going to be very strong after drinking all that blood, maybe even stronger than Damon.

There was a creak on the floorboard and Elena followed the sound up onto the landing above her and there stood Stefan. "Hi" she mumbled weakly, taking note of his dishevelled appearance. His normally pristine clothes were crumpled as if he'd slept in them and they were covered in blood stains. His hands were almost dyed red by blood and as she took note of his hands, he discarded the empty blood bag from his right hand. His beautiful face was the worst, blood was encrusted to his chin & there was blood dripping off his lip down to the left corner. His eyes were fathomlessly black; so deep and empty that it terrified her as she was drawn into the darkness. Weakly she reached for her vervain necklace and to her horror it was missing. She knew that it was useless to run or even back away from him so, with a feeling of foreboding in the pit of her stomach, she headed upwards to meet him. As she reached the top of the stairs, he was still staring at her and she didn't like it.

"Stefan?" She whispered tentatively and he grunted in response so she carried on, "I need to talk to you about Damon . . . and . . . well . . . me!" His stared at her for a second and then as though he knew what was coming, she saw a flash of something, anger maybe and then he pulled her to him, "My my Elena . . . Mine . . . Elena . . . My Elena . . . Mine!" The way he was talking would have normally calmed and reassured her but today it unnerved her, it was too possessive. She felt trapped and deeply uneasy.

Then in a voice that was almost his own but at the same time totally different, he asked "Elena? Why can I smell my Brother's scent all over you?" And suddenly she recognised the tone, it was the kind he used on his brother usually before he tried to stake him and that Elena realised was VERY bad. Slowly she began to back away from but her foot slipped and she nearly toppled down the stairs. Stefan grabbed her at the last minute and she turned to him instinctively and then she the look on his face. Aside from the usually vampire facial characteristics, his eyes shone with a manic light as he growled "Elena? What have you done?" She stared at him in sheer horror, desperately trying to scramble away but his grip had turned vice-like. She knew her arms would have bruises. Terrified, she whimpered as she tried to explain what had happened.

Stefan pulled her flush to him, red fury danced in front of his eyes. The concept of Elena choosing his brother over him was unthinkable. She was fighting against his hold like a wild animal. Like the animals he had killed. The crimson blood of the animals. Totally of their own accord his eyes slid down to soft blue veins across her porcelain skin. He could hear the desperate thrumming of her heart. And then his slipped into darkness.

Damon was listening intently to the conversation in the house. His muscles were tensed to sprint, it was almost a painful urge to run in and protect her but deep down he knew she had to do this alone. He returned his attention to the building and was puzzled by the silence. His mind threw up countless plausible scenarios to explain the silence. He was almost convinced that they silence was good until he heard the scream.

Diving from the car seat, he ran faster than he had ever moved in his life. His undead heart was pounding as he ran into the building. His mind was completely in darkness, the rage practically bursting through his chest as he forced down the idea of her being hurt or worse dead. He would destroy his brother if he had hurt Elena; rip into limb from limb, torture him. The events of the day before would seem like a pleasant experience in comparison to what Damon would do. The monster inside him was telling him that she was dead, it was all his fault, he was doomed to be miserable forever. He shook the thought away and poured more energy into his feet. "Stupid, stupid fool" he cursed himself, "How could he have trusted that Stefan would not harm her, she would be like a walking blood bag to him in this state." The sprint into the house seemed to take eternity and as he crashed through the door and saw the chaos within all he could do was echo the words that his brother had said early with twice as much fury and passion mingled with the feeling of shell-shock, "What have you done? "

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**I'm sorry! I know it's mean to leave it on a cliffhanger! **

**I promise to get the next chapter done asap.**

**It's all stored in my head & just needs writing down!**

**Reviews are love!**

**x  
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	4. Chapter 4

**I'm back again! :)**

**Sorry for leaving you with a nasty cliffhanger but with the help of my trusty blackberry I finished Chapter 4.**

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing and it breaks my heart . . . I would very much like a Damon please!**

**So on with the show!  
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The scene in front of Damon seemed out of place, like it belonged to a horror movie and not in his house. Any other time he would have laughed at the irony of the situation but not today, it was even remotely funny.

The first detail he took in aside from the amass of scattered blood bags was that his brother appeared to have a wooden broom pole through his abdomen. Now that was amusing but he couldn't laugh. Slowly and almost unwillingly he followed his brother's gaze down to the floor. There in a crumpled heap lay Elena. There was a bite mark in her neck that had been savaged badly. Her face was pale and her right leg seemed to stick out at a wrong angle. She was staring blankly into space, her eyes seeing nothing yet everything at the same. And all Damon could do was laugh. He knew it wasn't funny but his mind was in shock and he couldn't control it.

Vaguely he heard the sarcastic tone of his brother snapping, "Well I'm glad that someone finds it funny!" Carefully not wanting to shock her, Damon crawled over to Elena making slow movements, all the while watching her blank face for signs of life.

"Elena? Elena love? It's me, Damon?" He asked tenderly slowly shaking her shoulder. Then he heard the softest voice he'd ever heard but one that made his heart leap, "Damon . . . My leg hurts!" Elena's voice was gravely and sad. He smiled , a real purely happy smile, and replied, "It's alright Elena, I'll fix it for you. But you need to drink a little bit of my blood. Elena? Can you do that for me Elena?" Weakly she stared up at him. Before murmuring in a ghostly voice that she would so long as she didn't become a vampire. Barely taking the second required to register her comment, Damon bite his wrist. It was an uncomfortable feeling usually but this time Damon barely noticed. Slowly he pushed the bloody wrist into Elena's mouth and whispered soothing words as she swallowed. Elena was surprised by the taste. His blood was nothing like her own nasty coppery tasting blood, it was exotic and sweet. It tasted exactly like she imagined he would taste, like his kisses only more intense. When he noticed her tentative licks change through to desperate gulps, he slowly removed his wrist.

Elena watched in morbid fascination as her leg began to heal. She could feel the bite mark on her neck slowly disappearing too. When the blood had finished it's work, she stood up and threw herself into Damon's arms, sobbing like a child. After a few minutes, she calmed down and just stared into Damon's eyes. "You saved me!" She whispered in awe. He shot her a smirk, uneasy at being considered her hero, and then replied, "Yeah. I guessed that makes us even after Georgia!" She tried to laugh along but her nerves were shot and she so she merely clung tighter to him; the thought of losing him was incomprehensible nowadays. He understand completely what she was thinking and there was no need for words so he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Well that's all good and wonderful," a sarcastic voice intoned, "But do ya think you could remove the stake now! Since she's clearly fine!" Damon looked up at his brother, almost in surprise that he was still there before laughing darkly, "You make be doped up on human brother little brother but you are forgetting what you've just done. I should stake you properly for hurting her!!" Elena whimpered and then pulled Damon back to her. When he finally looked down at her she whispered, "Leave him Damon. Its not worth the pain you'll cause yourself!" He stared at her, almost incredulously, "He almost KILLED you Elena!" She smiled at him softly, "But he didn't. You were here and you saved me, that's all that matters." Damon watched her carefully as she leant towards him and took hold of his hand, "Please?" she whispered. He stared at her a few seconds and then shot a dark warning look at his brother, "Keep away from Elena! And watch your back at all times!" he snarled before allowing Elena to walk him out of the Boarding House without looking back.

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**So who expected that?**

**This chapter wasn't originally meant to go like that but suddenly it was half written & I decided I like it better this way. Elena's not a weakling afterall!**

**Reviews make me happy.  
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	5. Chapter 5

**Here we go! Chapter 5**

**Wow! I can't believe that my orignal plan for a one shot has grown so long! :)**

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing! :(**

**So on with the show!  
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Elena flopped down onto her bed, feeling completely exhausted. For the second time in as many days, Elena's life had been in danger. The strange thing was that she had been more scared today. "Perhaps," she thought darkly, "it was due to the fact that yesterday she had two people she could trust entirely whereas today she had been endangered by the person she had trusted the most." Elena was not a fool, she knew that vampires needed blood and hers was there for the taking. But to have Stefan forcibly drink from her was horrendous.

Slowly she began to focus on her surroundings, more importantly on the beautiful creature sat on the window seat. His usual mask had slipped and she could see from her bed that something was seriously wrong. He looked like he was in physical pain. His expression was heart-broken. Slowly she stood up and padded across the room to him. "Talk to me." She whispered softly. He stared up at her, indecision evident in those aquamarine eyes. The depths in those eyes were endless and she knew that if she stared long enough she'd be lost for eternity. Suddenly he was stood infront of her, holding her face between his hands. "I can't lose you." he whispered, intensely. Elena was completely thunder-struck. She had never expected such an admission from him, but there he was and here she was. She leant in and pressed a chaste kiss on his lips before replying in a serious tone, "I told you before. I'm not going anywhere!" He watched her for a few seconds looking into her eyes for something and then he kissed her.

Elena saw fireworks beneath her lids. His kiss was so intense and passionate that she could barely stand. Carefully without breaking pace, he walked her backwards towards the bed. As her knees hit the mattress, she fell back dragging him with her. A small giggle escaped her mouth before they were locked together again. Something deep down inside her told her that this was it, that one kiss that she would remember for eternity! Almost hesitantly, his tongue swept across her bottom lip. Instantaniously she gave him access and their tongues danced around one another. Eventually they slowly down and he felt her smile against his lips.

As usual someone broke the mood. This time it was Aunt Jenna. She knocked tentatively at the door and waited for Elena to shout her in before peeking her head around the door. She smiled as she saw them sat at opposite ends of the bed, not touching. "I was a teenager once," she joked, "there's no need to act so innocent." Damon smirked at Elena who punched him in the shoulder playfully, before asking "What's up Aunt Jenna?"

"I just wondered if you fancied a bite to eat? Me and Jer are making mexican. His girlfriend Anna is coming around but there'll be enough for you two if you want it?" Elena smirked at her Aunt's turn of phrase whilst Damon replied "That would be lovely! Would you like a hand?" Jenna smiled, drawn in by his devilish good looks before replying to the negative and rushing out. Once gone Elena burst out laughing and Damon sighed, "A bite to eat indeed!"

"So am I your best kiss? I'm sure I must be incomparison to that lot!" He smirked cockily when they broke apart. He was laid out on his side on the bed and she was sat on the edge, at the other side, pulling her boots off. She laughed and threw a pillow at him which he caught lazily. "You're an ass!" She replied, sticking her tongue out at him, childishly. He laughed, "That's not answering the question Miss Gilbert!" His tone was light and mocking. "Ooh! What are you gonna do about it?" she teased, laughing merrily at him. He merely quirked an eyebrow at her and said, "Uh vampire remember?" She mimicked his moves and then teasingly replied, "You don't scare me Damon Salvatore!" The dark depths of his eyes sparkled with mischief as he stood up, slowly. "Damon, NO!" she laughed as he stalked her carefully, "I mean it Damon! No!" And then he pounced, knocking her back down onto the bed in one swift movement. Straddling her, he towered over as she laughed helplessly. Then he began to tickle her. She rolled around, screaming and giggling, as she desperately tried to break free. He was ruthless in his tickling, seeming to know exactly where to get her in order to make her scream. "I give! I give!" She shouted through her giggles. He stopped after a second, looking down at her with an amused expression. "So?" He asked, pointedly. She laughed and pulled his face down to her. "You." She whispered breathily into his ear. Happily he pressed his lips onto hers in a tempting kiss.

"Dinner!" They heard Jenna shout from downstairs and Elena went to get up before Damon teased, "Let's forget dinner. I have mine right here!" She laughed and pushed him off. She took his hand and they headed downstairs to join the others.

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**Thanks again for reading and for those who reviewed, I love you all!**

**I hope this reads ok! :s I had to actually upload and edit via my trusty blackberry (where as I normally write it and the email it to my pc to publish) because my pc has gone loopy! Sorry if it doesn't make sense. I'll republish if it doesn't!**

**Please review! All the ones so far have made me ridiculously happy!.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**:) HI!**

**Here's another chapter for you!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own absolutely nothing BUT if you could get me a Damon I'll love you forever!**

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Elena stared at Damon, "Alright who are you and what have you done with Damon?" she asked, amused.

"What? You thought I couldn't behave well around humans?" He smirked at her.

Damon had been amazing at dinner. She was pleasantly surprised. He'd joked with Jeremy and flattered Jenna till she was dizzy with praise. He'd even behave well around Anna. When they'd walked downstairs and straight into her, Elena had held onto Damon's bicep rubbing calming circles into his arm. She knew how hard it was for him to play nice, especially after Anna's stunt at the tomb. But after a seconds hesitation he'd smirked at her and said coolly, "So you're the Anna that's got Jeremy running in circles? I'm impressed. These Gilbert's are headstrong." He'd looked down to Elena when he said the last bit and she quirked an eyebrow. Anna had smiled and laughed awkwardly until Elena said, "You make him happy. I forgive you for kidnapping me and using me as bait." Her face was sincere as she spoke and Damon sighed. He couldn't say anything because HE didn't do forgiveness and all that warm, fluffy crap. The trouble was that spending time with Elena was changing him and although it was scary, he knew he'd do anything for her. Jeremy broke the silence by diving over and saying, happily "Anna! I'm glad you came. So you've met my sister and her boyfriend. Anna raised an eyebrow at the couple and then replied, "Yeah I've met them before. I knew Damon along time ago and I can't remeber where I met your sister. Anyway I wouldn't miss it for the world. I had to sneak out when my Mother was tied up with something." Jeremy looked at her worriedly for a second, he didn't want to get her into trouble, and then manouvere her to the kitchen chatting merrily.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly and then the couple headed back to her room. Later on, Elena had loudly said goodbye to Damon at the front door and he had run around and climbed through her window.

As per usual disaster had struck just after they'd snuggled down to sleep and this time it was Bonnie. Elena heard her at the door and when she heard her friend's feet storming up the stairs, she had begged Damon to hide. Bonnie stormed through the door and practically shouted at her best friend, "What the hell is wrong with you? You staked you're boyfriend and now you're sleeping with his brother!" Before Elena could answer, Bonnie had spotted Damon who of course hadn't hidden and she snapped, "Oh great it's you!" Damon smirked and replied, "Bonnie what an unexpected pleasure!" Elena elbowed her boyfriend in the stomach and he faked being hurt.

"How the hell do you know all this?" She murmured quietly, unease sinking in her stomach. Bonnie blushed slightly and tried to find and explanation but was beaten by Damon, "Well now I think dear old Bonnie has a crush." Elena flopped back onto the bed, shocked. Her best friend glared at Damon and said, "Elena? He rang me for help. He needed someone to remove the stake." Damon laughed, "I bet you loved that one!" He turned to his girlfriend, who looked sickened and sat behind her, stroking her hair. She squeezed his knee and then stood up and walked over to her best friend.

"Did you see the bags of blood?" She murmured darkly, "Did he tell you what he did? How he bit me and I fell down the stairs? How if Damon hadn't come in I would have probably died? Did he tell you all that?" By the end she was squared up to her, anger and a sick feeling of betrayal sweeping over her. The wind seemed to go out of Bonnie's sails slightly before she flared back at her best friend, "Elena! You put a stake through his stomach! You could have killed him!" Before Elena could comment, Damon replied mockingly, "Er dead already sweetheart!" Elena snorted and Bonnie glared at the pair of them, "Shut it YOU!" Suddenly Elena was furious, "How dare you?" She stormed at her supposed best friend, "Don't you dare tell him to shut up. You come over with half the facts and yell at me-" Her furious tirade stopped when Damon placed a soothing hand on her shoulder. She cooled down slightly and carried on in a cold voice, "I think maybe you should go Bonnie and come back when you're ready to hear the full story!" Bonnie stared at her, dumbstruck, "What do you mean the full story?" Damon summarised the events of the last few days for her and by the end Bonnie was totally shocked. She refused to believe him of course and turned to her best friend who just nodded. Bonnie crossed over to Elena and stared deeply into her eyes before found her tongue and asked "Has he compelled you to act this way?" Elena's eyes darkened and she glared at her best friend, "No" she said quietly, desperately trying to keep her temper, "He has not compelled me Bonnie. Why can't you just accept that Stefan isn't always the good guy and Damon isn't always the bad guy?" Tears pooled in Bonnie's eyes as she replied, "He's the reason Grams died." Elena sighed, "No Bonnie, it wasn't all his fault. If you want someone to blame; blame all of us, blame me and blame Stefan!" Bonnie stared at her shocked, "Stefan went in after me didn't he? Did you honestly believe that I would leave either of them down there? And what about yourself Bonnie? You helped cast the spell that would leave Damon down there to die? -" Damon stroked her back and whispered, "Elena enough. You made your point." Elena let out the breath that she hadn't realised she had been holding. Bonnie was straight at her friend; her mouth opening and shutting like a goldfish. Slowly she recovered her voice and said, "He's evil Elena! It was his fault; he's twisting your mind! It was my Grams, Elena, my Grams!" Then she turned and ran from the house. Elena slumped back down onto the bed. She'd known Bonnie wouldn't take her new relationship lightly but she hadn't expected such a reaction. A few tears trickled down her cheeks and Damon sighed and joined her, "We'll fix it all in the morning!"

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**Well there you go, another chapter done! :)**

**Hope you liked, review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again. **

**Sorry I took awhile to update . . . been far from my laptop and had no chance.**

**But here you go, an extrafluffy chapter as apology!

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Damon yawned languidly and mussed his hair with a lazy hand. Elena was snuggled up to his bare chest, her hand thrown haphazardly around his waist. She looked cute when she slept, her nose was scrunched up as though she was concentrating on something really hard in her sleep. He would say she looked beautiful when she slept but the fact was that she was always beautiful. Damon wondered, in an offhand manner, when he'd got so soft and affectionate about her. He didn't mind being soft over her; just so long as no-one else ever found out. Afterall he had a reputation to maintain! He adjusted his body so he was sat up slightly and watched her sleeping form, affectionately.

Elena shifted in her sleep and she rolled onto her front so she was flopped over Damon's chest. Sleepily she began to wake up. She was warm and comfortable and she didn't want to let her dream slip away. It was a nice dream . . . Her parents were in it, and Jer, and Damon. Damon . . . . Mmm! She smiled sleepily and then that she heard his voice, that beautiful voice, "Morning Sunshine!" She remembered the first time he'd woken her up like that, when they were headed to Georgia. It had been during that trip that she had realised she had feelings for him but had refused to analyse them.

Her eyes couldn't stay closed any longer. She caught a glimpse of dark hair and jewel-like eyes before she was flipped over onto her back.

"Oh!" She gasped, shocked and her eyes flew open. Damon was smirking down at her, playfully. Before she could complain, he was kissing her. Soft, warm kisses that were never quite on the centre of her lips. He left a few seconds between each kiss to allow the feeling to linger. "You tease!" She laughed when he paused for a second. "Me? A tease?" He replied mockingly. She laughed at how cute he looked when he pulled that face, like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. But his demure, innocent look didn't fool Elena. She leant upwards to meet his lips. The kisses changed in tempo and became more fiery and passionate. Their mouths met in a collision of need along with something that was very much like love. It was the sort of kiss that made you realise that kissing other people was nothing in comparison and that you never want to stop kissing each other. Elena pulled him down closer to her and then in seconds she rolled them over so she was on top.

Damon blinked, 'when the heck did that happen? And how?' Elena was smirking above him; her dark hair falling as a curtain around them, almost hiding them from everything in the outside world. "You're spending to much time with me," he joked, "You're even picking up my quirks!" He pulled her down into another searing kiss; their tongues duelled with all-consuming passion. She ran her hands through his tousled dark locks, desperate to pull him in closer. His hands joined in the games, circling her back and bottom, pulling in closer to his body; revelling in her touch.

Elena opened her eyes and pulled away, her dark eyes sparkling as she stared at Damon. He watched her carefully, he could see the tears glimmering in the corner of her eyes. He waited for a few seconds giving her time to process her thoughts. Then she rewarded his patience by cupping his cheek with her hand. "I think I'm love you . . . For real!" She said, her voice barely a whisper but she knew he would hear. For Damon, he knew he wouldn't hear the words any better if she'd shouted them at him. Internally he was struggling because this was like being at the edge of a precipe waiting to jump. He loved her, God knows her loved her more than he'd ever felt with Katherine. But admitting it, saying those 3 little words was terrifying. It would make everything real if he said them and if she ever left, it would completely destroy him. Elena was watching him, her eyes on his face, almost waiting. Then she sat up and murmured, "It's ok Damon. I don't expect you to say anything. I just wanted you to know." He could sense a tinge of sadness colouring her voice. She obviously thought he didn't feel the same, he thought in surprise, and then he knew he had to explain himself. "Elena?" He whispered, pulling himself up and closer to her. She wouldn't look at him so he took her hand, "It's not that I don't want to say them or that I don't feel the same. It's just hard." She raised her eyes to look at him, puzzled and he continued, "The only people ever said that to was my mother and . . . Katherine. My mother died and Katherine betrayed me. I can't say it because everyone leaves after I say it. I can't put my heart on the line again incase-" His face looked so pained as he explain that she pulled him to her and held him in her arms before whispering into his hair, "I'm not going to leave you I promise. And I'll wait for eternity till you're ready to say them." He held her tighter before whispering back, "Thank you. I do feel that way I just cant-" "Ssssh!" She murmured.

They stayed that way for a few minutes before she let him go and headed for a shower. He stayed sat cross-legged on the bed and watched her disappear through the door before whispering quietly, "I love you too."

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**Thankyou so much for your reviews so far, you amazing people! :)**

**Reviews make me very happy! lol**

**I'll try to update asap but the nursing placement now owns my soul for the next few weeks so updates make be slower than usual!  
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